Page "Amphibian" Paragraph 84

Most terrestrial caecilians that lay eggs do so in burrows or moist places on land near bodies of water.

The development of the young of Ichthyophis glutinosus, a species from Sri Lanka, has been much studied.

The eel-like larvae hatch out of the eggs and make their way to water.

They have three pairs of external red feathery gills, a blunt head with two rudimentary eyes, a lateral line system and a short tail with fins.

They swim by undulating their body from side to side.

They are mostly active at night, soon lose their gills and make sorties onto land.

Metamorphosis is gradual but by the age of about ten months they have developed a pointed head with sensory tentacles near the mouth and lost their eyes, lateral line systems and tails.

The skin thickens, embedded scales develop and the body divides into segments.

By this time the caecilian has constructed a burrow and is living on land.